He may not have left the ground, but Private First Class Richard Jowders got all the bells and whistles the trip provides, and all the gratitude he deserves.

On Tuesday, Jowders was taken off an elevator and down a VA hospital hallway, with fellow veterans, family and friends there to greet him.

“It’s been a long time. Oh my God, one of my good friends. Hey, another one,” Jowders said.

It was a tribute to a man who gave so much for his country.

Jowders had been scheduled to go on the next honor flight out of Manchester, a trip that includes a visit to see the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C.

“He was really looking forward to it. He had been on the flight for two months and then she had to take him off. He was really disappointed, but he is so sweet and he said, ‘It’s OK Shelia,’” said Shelia Peters, VA employee and honor flight volunteer.

Peters said she knew immediately something had to be done. So they created the flightless honor flight.

Jowders got the greeting all veterans get: the movie they all see, a hat, shirt and jacket, and even a mail call, which includes letters from loved ones that while at war, always meant so much to service members.

Fellow veterans said he deserves to experience an honor flight in some way. They said there’s nothing like it.

“It’s very hard to explain. It’s just a feeling. And (I) walked around and around and around, then we left and the first thing I said when we got back to Manchester was, ‘When can I go again?’” said Sgt. George Squires, a World War II veteran and Marine.

“It felt special, like you belong to a special group,” said Corp. Frances Walsh, a World War II veteran of the U.S. Army.

On Tuesday, the experience made Jowders feel the same way: overwhelmed.

“I can’t thank them enough,” said Jowders. “I probably can’t even sleep tonight. I’ll think about it all night.”